And in the Vienna Woods the Trees Remain by Elisabeth Asbrink: A stash of 500 letters between members of an Austrian Jewish family survived World War II. Asbrink uses them to tell the Ullmann story—parents trapped in Vienna, their 13-year-old son Otto sent to safety in Sweden. In the early days, the Ullmanns expected reunification. They wrote about everyday life and peppered their letters with expressions of love and admonishments to be good and work hard.
WORLD’s Picture Book of the Year is Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler (Nancy Paulsen Books, ages 5-8), a hope-filled, true story of a family that survives and prospers despite tragedy. Adults will appreciate the enormity of the challenges the mother faces. Children will appreciate the simple story and luminous illustrations that show a family facing difficult circumstances with resourcefulness, tenacity, love—and fun.
Dec. 12 Character actor who received an Oscar nomination for his role as a pizza shop owner in Do the Right Thing. He was married to his wife, Sandy Cohen, for 64 years.
Dec. 18 The coach depicted in the movie Remember the Titans, he overcame racial tensions to lead Alexandria, Va.’s T.C. Williams High School to the Virginia state championship in his first year as head coach.
Coronavirus | The common grief of COVID-19 draws us nearer to each other—and God
